The present invention relates to an improved method and apparatus for removing and recovering certain pollutants from the gases discharged from ovens such a ovens used to bake bread and other similar products.
In 1977 Congress passed the Clean Air Act and the Ozone Ambient Air Quality Standard was a part of such act. This pollution problem was being considered by the baking industry in 1977 and the EPA was attempting to take action at that time against a Los Angeles, Calif. major bakery.
An article in the publication "Bakery" dated November, 1986, page 20 and 21 explains the generation of ethyl alcohol during the baking process and its release from the oven to the atmosphere during baking. The EPA considers ethyl alcohol to be a volatile organic chemical which is a precursor of ground-level ozone.
Considerable effort has been made since the aforementioned act to prevent the discharge of the ethyl alcohol to the atmosphere and also to attempting to write regulations which would not totally destroy the wholesale baking industry.
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